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Sunday, April 10, 2016

Why is it things always look better after you lose them?

What is it about humans that makes us want what we don't have and not appreciate what we do have until we no longer have it?

I have lived in my current apartment for just shy of two years and have had multiple complaints about it; my upstairs neighbor is noisy, it gets incredibly damp in the humid summer (basement apartment), there's not enough light, various bugs and ants visit me and the forced air heat is annoying (too hot, followed by too cold). Trivial complaints really, but complaints none the less. What I have failed at recognizing is all the benefits that come with this place. There's a fenced-in ball field across the street where many people bring their dogs, hence I've met a lot of my neighbors. There's free parking and a small backyard. Rent is cheap and the street is quiet with very little traffic. Plus, it's a one bedroom and since living alone I've always rented cheap bachelors. Did I appreciate any of this? At first, absolutely, but after a while the cons of the place became more prevalent in my mind than the pros.

But now I love my apartment!

The funny things is, once I showed my friend the place and he liked it, I immediately didn't want to leave it. "What is this I'm feeling?" I asked myself at the time. It seems to be akin to what we do as children when another kid has our toy that we previously didn't really care about. All of a sudden it's the BEST toy in the world and the ONLY one we want to play with.We didn't appreciate it until there was a threat of no longer having it. Is there any kind of evolutionary need for this type of reaction?

I now find myself waking up absolutely in LOVE with my bed and taking note of how cozy and warm I am. I bask in the light that fills my bedroom and stay in bed as long as I can. I will be giving said bed to my nephew when I leave. He will enjoy it too, I know, and I am happy to give it to him. I'm hoping my camper bed will be just as comfortable and I won't freeze in the Nova Scotia Spring!

In the big picture I wonder if this is how I've spent my entire life? There's always something better "out there". Always a bigger adventure, more interesting geography, a more fitting job, a better place to live where I will finally be content. But that cliche saying is true, wherever you go, there you are. And here I go again!

Do you take time to be grateful for what you have? Or do things always seem better in hindsight?

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Stories of people full-time RVing, living off-grid or without any money at all show up in my social media feeds and are shared with me quite often. Obviously, this is telling of my interests as these sites are tailored to delivering messages and stories about the topics I've searched for or clicked on. Each time I read or watch a video about a person who has challenged the system and their own survival I get a little pang in my chest. I'm searching for a different way of living but how for out of my comfort zone am I willing to go?

Living without money

In 2000, Daniel Suelo gave away all his worldly possessions, left his
last $30 in a phone booth and wandered into the wilderness of the
American Southwest. This, he says, is when his life began. Although I am not interested in attempting to walk off into the desert and live in a cave myself, I do respect the decision to follow your own beliefs, however extreme they seem. He writes a blog called Zero Currency.

In his words;
"I've been totally without cents since Autumn of 2000 (except for a
couple months in 2001). I don't use or accept money or conscious barter -
don't take food stamps or other government dole. My philosophy is to
use only what is freely given or discarded & what is already present
& already running (whether or not I existed)."

Intriguing to me because I am starting to learn about foraging wild edibles (more on that in a later post).

Then, there's this 69 year old woman, Heidemarie Schwermer. Her story seems a little more accessible as she is still living in society but has found a way to go without money or material possessions. She 'had it all', owning a house and raising children and grand children but had the nagging feeling of unrest and saw the vast inequality of wealth. In 1996 she gave away all her belongings in order to experiment with the idea of living without money. Slowly but surely she has managed to step outside the existing structures and find a new way of living, free of worries and possessions.

Two
years later she gave away all of her belongings in order to make an
experiment where she would live without using money. Slowly but surely
she has managed to step out of the existing structures and find a new
way of living, free of worries and possessions. - See more at:
http://livingwithoutmoney.org/about-the-film/about-heidemarie/#sthash.bD4ZQrdc.dpuf

But this isn't for everyone either. I am not a fan of consumerism but I
do know if everyone decided to try something like this our economy would
collapse. However, I do agree with her that money distracts us from
what's important.

What about those living full-time in vans/motor homes/trailers?

Without Bound: Perspectives on Mobile Living focuses on the "imbalance of freedom versus comfort in
modern society." This is not about homelessness but about a conscious decision to live a mobile life as a way to expand mental capacity over material things. Some are forced into this life due to divorce, financial hardship or a devastating fire but it remains that they chose this way of living over simply renting another apartment or house and filling it with things. This I can relate to.

I can't say as I am setting out to say "down with the man". It's not a
political or social decision to live in my camper, but one of a desire
to leave the rat race and see what I am capable of. A coworker told me
recently that she thinks I'm brave in what I'm doing. I've heard this
before but it never quite sits right with me. There's a large part of me
that thinks those who stick with it, go to work, pay their bills and
earn a retirement are the brave ones. They don't run away from the
routine and structure we have evolved into, instead they face it head
on. In a way I'm the one copping out and running away from going back to
school or getting a "real job" with a potential for retirement with
money, instead of parking my camper in my sister's backyard
and eating grass and dandelions. (She's fully aware that this is my retirement plan, along with my other sister who will also be living in her back 40)

Do you think sticking to the regular routine or selling everything and heading into the unknown is more brave? Maybe they are equally as brave in their own way?

In
1994 she founded the “Give and take central” – Germany’s first exchange
circle. Two years later she gave away all of her belongings in order to
make an experiment where she would live without using money. Slowly but
surely she has managed to step out of the existing structures and find a
new way of living, free of worries and possessions. - See more at:
http://livingwithoutmoney.org/about-the-film/about-heidemarie/#sthash.bD4ZQrdc.dpuf

In
1994 she founded the “Give and take central” – Germany’s first exchange
circle. Two years later she gave away all of her belongings in order to
make an experiment where she would live without using money. Slowly but
surely she has managed to step out of the existing structures and find a
new way of living, free of worries and possessions. - See more at:
http://livingwithoutmoney.org/about-the-film/about-heidemarie/#sthash.bD4ZQrdc.dpuf

In
1994 she founded the “Give and take central” – Germany’s first exchange
circle. Two years later she gave away all of her belongings in order to
make an experiment where she would live without using money. Slowly but
surely she has managed to step out of the existing structures and find a
new way of living, free of worries and possessions. - See more at:
http://livingwithoutmoney.org/about-the-film/about-heidemarie/#sthash.bD4ZQrdc.dpuf

Sunday, March 20, 2016

My apartment is being taken over by a friend, I found a tow vehicle, sold my old car and have slowly started selling my belongings. Things are falling into place but, wow, I am feeling completely ill-prepared.

Why make things so hard?

A good friend of mine asked me the other day why I like to make things more difficult for myself. It was an interesting question since I had just been asking myself the same thing a few days prior. Presently it's all so simple, so routine. I go to work, come home and without thinking I flick the switch for lights and they turn on. I can flush a toilet or have a hot shower because I have indoor plumbing, but I don't ever think about either of these things. I'm guessing I'm not alone.

I vividly remember returning home from my travels in the van and living in a place where all this was available to me again after 5 months of doing without. It felt like pure privilege not to have to think about how I would charge my laptop or where I would go to empty my Campa Potty or have a hot shower. As you can imagine, that feeling left rather quickly as life fell into routine again and the marvels of modern living became banal. Indoor plumbing, electricity, hot water are all luxuries we take for granted in this part of the world, myself included. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, in fact, not having to think about such things allows us more time for other pursuits.

Routine vs the Unknown

I am not a creature of routine. Not because I don't want to be and, quite frankly, I am a bit envious of those who are content with their daily routine. The solo trip in the van really brought out some aspects of myself that I didn't know were there. I am more resourceful and capable of taking care of myself in various situations then I had previously taken credit for (see "what a week" in my Barter Van blog). My point is I get a great sense of satisfaction from having to be more resourceful and love how I am more in tuned with my instincts when I live outside my comfort zone. It's not that I want to make things harder for myself, per se, but I do feel more "alive" and "strong" when faced with the most of basic problems of daily living. I like being challenged and I have yet to be able to find a way to do this while being stationary, working two or three jobs and feeling like I know what each day will bring. The unknown invigorates me, for better or worse.

How are you with routine? Would it be your worst nightmare not to have the comforts of modern life?

Sunday, March 13, 2016

To sell or not to sell?

The countdown clock I put on this blog is a crazy reminder of just how little time I have left to sell the majority of my belongings...again!

I originally intended to sell everything that couldn't be of use in my camper but friends of mine have been insistent they store some of my prized collections, like my velvet paintings. I'm sure no one else is as interested in these as I am anyways and the sale price of them wouldn't come close to reflecting my love for them. So I agreed to store those and thanked my friend for the offer. There is also a number of furniture items I am having a hard time deciding whether to let go of; my 1950's table, 1970s hutch, 1950s lamp with boomerang lampshade and the coffee table my father made for me. Then there's my tiki collection that I have spent years building on, ugh, that's a hard one. Virtually nothing I own is new, therefor, it's hard or near impossible to replace once gone.

Why are we so attached?

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it is that makes us so attached to inanimate objects. It's just "stuff" after all. Sometimes it's memories that make us want to keep certain objects or the idea that we couldn't sell it for what it's worth. For me it's a mixture of sentimentality, memories, rareness and just plain enjoying having items I like to look at surrounding me. I have sold my stuff so many times and there may only be one or two items that I still think about; that red velvet hanging lamp with black tassels or the Bride of Frankenstein candy dish, everything else has been forgotten about for the most part. That doesn't make it any easier this time though. I keep telling myself I need money more than I need things right now, which helps some, but I am surprised by how much I am fighting with myself this time around.

Do you find yourself attached to your belongings? Would you be able to sell most of it in preparation for a big move or downsizing?

Saturday, March 5, 2016

If you've linked here from my Barter Van blog then you are already familiar with my "problem" of never-ending wanderlust. If you are new to me and my story, and have a lot of time on your hands, you can read all about my previous attempt at living in a van full-time there. In any case, welcome to my second attempt, this time in a 13 foot 1976 Boler camper! I hope you stick around, maybe share your story with me, and by all means contact me with questions or comments. It can get lonely on the road and I always welcome the company!

Here we go again.

It's that time again where I get restless and look for ways to make full-time travel my lifestyle. Well, if I'm honest, I'm ALWAYS researching and trying to find ways to do this. I've recently been hired by La Have River Campground here in Nova Scotia and will be working from May 15- October 15, 2016. So, that's five months of the year figured out as far as making money goes. I will be living on site while working in the store and the office, taking reservations, cleaning showers and rental huts, and (my favorite duty) monitoring the slip n slide!

How did I get this position you ask? I was working away on a menial task one day at one of my three jobs and I thought to myself, "maybe I can work at a campground". Now, I had this thought before but when I researched it I was discouraged that all information was aimed at snowbirds; retired people, and mostly couples, of which I am neither. But this day, as my mind wondered about how to escape this three-job-rat-race I'm in, I thought about the people I bought my van from. They own a campground! So, I contacted one of the owners through Facebook. Luckily, she had been following my Barter Van blog and remembered me. It just so happened that she didn't have a full time worker for the 2016 season and after some back-and-forth she hired me! Well, that was easy I thought. Truth be told, while I was waiting to hear back about that job I looked up every privately-owned campground in Nova Scotia and sent them all resumes, just in case I didn't get that job. I did eventually hear back from a couple and if La Have decides they don't want me back I have some leads for next year. Just goes to show, it never hurts to ask.

But that leaves winter.

Let me state the obvious; Canada is cold in the winter. There is no way I want to live through a Nova Scotia winter in my camper. Therefor, I am currently researching campgrounds that stay open all winter in British Columbia, our warmest province. I have also joined up with WWOOFing in case I can find a volunteer job that suits me and my dog. If you aren't familiar with that organization it stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It pairs volunteers with farms and homesteads where you can learn about how to live more sustainable, something I am also interested in.

Ideally, though, I would love to be driving around the southern and mid-west states in the winter but this can't happen this year due to the terrible exchange on the Canadian dollar right now. So, for now, I have no real plan of what to do when this job is over. Am I panicked? You betcha! But I'm slightly less anxious than working 50 hours a week to pay my bills while having few of what I would call "valuable experiences". There just HAS to be a better way to spend this life and I'm determined to figure it out.

So, from the comfort of your heated homes with electricity and flush toilets, join me on this new adventure. Hopefully it will be interesting and maybe even inspire you to discover and pursue the life you want, no matter how unconventional.

Countdown to living in a Boler!

Okie and I started traveling together in 2012 when I first attempted a life of full-time travel. I think she has now traveled more than many people have.

Myself, I'm a nomad at heart. Ever since I first moved from the east coast of Canada to the west I have had an insatiable wanderlust that drives my decisions. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, I have lived in British Columbia, Ontario, Holland, England and spent 6 months traveling from one coast of the continental US and back. And I'm not done.

I am now pursuing a simple, slow-paced life of working in campgrounds and living in my Boler. I am a trained photographer and make art from my travels; mainly focusing on old neon signs, Americana and other roadside attractions. If interested, you can view my work at www.angelacarlsen.com or purchase through my Etsy store by clicking the link on my home page (coming soon).

I am deeply grateful that I am privileged and free enough to be able to pursue this kind of lifestyle, whatever the outcome.